This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Various seatbelt assemblies are well known for use in motor vehicles. Examples of such known seatbelt assemblies are shown in commonly U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,978,214, 9,346,433 and U.S. Publication No. 2016-0120268 which are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. Present systems have certain common elements including seatbelt webbing that extends across the upper and lower torso of the occupant, and a retractor for allowing protraction and retraction of the webbing so that the belt may adapt to different sizes of occupants and be conveniently out of the way when not being used. Seatbelt assemblies further typically include a buckle which releasably attaches to a latch plate.
Seatbelt assemblies must be securely affixed to motor vehicle structural elements in order to provide the necessary restraint effect in vehicle impact conditions and further to meet government regulations. Further, seatbelt assemblies must securely retain an occupant within its seat, while also allowing the occupant easy ingress and egress from the seat under a variety of conditions and situations.
Typical seatbelt assemblies include a buckle that is securely mounted to a vehicle structure, such as a seat frame or the floor of the occupant compartment. The buckle typically includes a slot that is sized to receive and retain a latch plate.
The latch plate is typically attached to the seatbelt webbing. The seatbelt webbing is typically fixed to the vehicle structure at one end, and the opposite end is typically fixed to a retractor having an internal spool that is configured to protract and retract the webbing in response to various loads. The latch plate is typically attached by passing the seatbelt webbing through an elongate opening or slot, such that the latch plate can slide along the webbing and be adjusted relative to the size of the occupant. The latch plate is typically attached to webbing such that the latch plate remains on the webbing, whether the seatbelt is in the buckled or unbuckled configuration.
The buckle is typically in the form of a housing that includes a pushbutton. A single slot is provided at the top of the buckle and defined between the pushbutton and the housing, into which a single latch plate is inserted. In other forms, the pushbutton is provided on the side of the housing, and the housing defines the slot at the top of the buckle.
Because the seatbelt is inherently inserted and removed multiple times through the course of its life, there are prolonged instances where the seatbelt is in an unbuckled condition. In this condition, the slot at the top of the housing is open and capable of receiving the latch plate when buckling is desired by the occupant. The slot is susceptible to debris being inserted into slot or inadvertently falling into the slot. Such debris can include coins, pins, paperclips, gravel, hairpins, rubber bands, spilled liquid and other similar items. Debris becoming lodged within the buckle may potentially interfere with proper buckle operation.
While known seatbelt assemblies, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,978,214, 9,346,433 and U.S. Publication No. 2016-0120268, have proven to be suitable for their intended uses, a continuous need for improvement in the relevant art remains.